


Tarnished (Bright Metal Remix)

by flightinflame



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst with a Happy Ending, Charles Xavier Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Misunderstandings, Protective Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:40:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24919234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: Raven despises the rebel king of Genosha, who says all mutants are free in his lands and forces her brother to his bed. She wants to help Charles, but until she can find allies, she has to smile at her brother's lies, and work out a way to protect him.
Relationships: Background: - Relationship, Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, Raven | Mystique & Charles Xavier
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65
Collections: X-Men Remix Madness 2020





	Tarnished (Bright Metal Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lynds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynds/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Bright Metal on a Sullen Ground](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22548877) by [Lynds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynds/pseuds/Lynds). 
  * In response to a prompt by [Lynds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynds/pseuds/Lynds) in the [xmen_remix_madness2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/xmen_remix_madness2020) collection. 



> I love Bright Metal, but my heart always ached for Raven in it. So I wanted to explore how things look from her position.
> 
> Thank you to my beta!

Raven shivered, sickened as this ceremony dragged on, various nations showing their welcome for some jumped-up bastard warlord who threatened their borders. She wanted to scream, to fight. But she could see Charles, stood by his hateful mother and hated stepfather, and that made her hold her tongue and not fight against the guard who had a grip on her arm.

She wouldn't win that fight. She was hungry and exhausted and hurting in a way that was deeper than the wounds inflicted. But she glared at the man who had taken control of Genosha and longed to destroy him and this entire court.

She saw Marko bow, muttering the expected thanks, and then the warlord replied. 

“Your congratulations are noted, Lord Marko, and your joy as well, considering this court is fully aware of the distaste you expressed to the ‘Mutant rabble’ when we came to your land seeking support.” There was such hatred in those words, and she couldn't hide her flinch - this man despised Westchester. She wasn't so afraid for herself - part of her longed to be a soldier, and she knew that the Summers boys and Sean and her would stick together, would survive. But she was terrified for Charles, for what would happen when he was given over. 

Charles had everyone convinced he was a weak telepath. His gift didn't suit the army, so Marko had something else planned. She ignored the discussion about past insults, until Marko gestured towards her, and she and the boys were dragged forwards. She flinched, afraid, aware of eyes on her blue skin. She could see how Alex was shaking, his hand reaching for Scott's, Scott blindfolded and trembling, and both so hungry they could barely stand.

"What is the meaning of this?" The warlord sounded furious, and she cringed back further, hearing Marko explain they were weapons and the man sound disgusted at it. They were weak, but she could fight, they could fight. She wanted to call Charles, to have his voice in her head, but his own collar stopped that. The warlord stared at them, and she could feel the metal at her throat shaking. "They are people. And now they are my people."

Before she could understand, before Charles could join them, a woman in white stepped forwards, gesturing for them. Raven walked after her, because she had no choice, because she had to survive for Charles's sake. Scott and Alex clung to each other, and Sean mutely held her hand, and she followed the woman in white to the barracks where they would await their judgement.

The woman fetched them some soup, and then reached for their collars. "Let me get rid of those."

Raven stepped forwards for it, already wondering if she could help her brother somehow with her power back. It didn't take long for the woman to remove it, and to do the same to Sean, but when she turned to Alex the boy stumbled back, shaking his head.

"No!" Alex begged, terrified, clutching his brother. "Please, no-"

Raven moved to stand in front of him, but after a moment the woman lowered her hands with a sigh.

"Alright. Get some rest, I'll have more food sent to you soon. If you need anything, shout, there'll be someone outside." With that, she hurried away, looking distracted.

The four of them sat together on one of the beds, Raven with her arm around Sean's shoulders as the brothers cuddled up together, trying to hide their fear. This was a new start. 

"Charles will communicate, as soon as he can," she promised, her voice trembling, trying not to let her thoughts linger on the idea of her brother in some monster's bed. Alex squeezed her hand.

"He's stronger than you think, Raven. He'll be okay." The lie sounded hollow, but she didn't argue, just leaned against them. They all knew what Marko's plans were. To hand over her brother to be a bed-slave, to get him into the King's favour. Her brother was kind and brave and too clever for his own good, and she hated to think of what would be happening while she sat here powerless to stop it. Sean rubbed her back, the four of them cuddling close, reluctant to pull away. Her mind tried to reach out to Charles, to hear from him, but nothing was forthcoming.

They stayed close that night, needing each other.

In the morning, their breakfast was brought by a quiet man who introduced himself as Janos, and explained he was one of the King's generals. She watched him, staring until he looked at her.

"What is it?"

"There was another one of us. Is he... will he be alright? I know he was being given to the King as a-" She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"He'll be fine," Janos answered, pain shining in his eyes. "He won't be hurt, and I am sure you will see him soon."

The man left shortly after that, and Sean cleared his throat. "So did that sound fake to anyone else or-"

Raven bit back a sob, waiting for her brother. She needed to hear from him, afraid that the worst had happened, that Charles would be dead. She'd heard all about this King's violence, the cruelty he showed against the tyrant who came before. She waited, pressing her thoughts out in search of Charles. When his mind touched hers it was a relief. 

_Raven! Where are you? Are you all safe? Are you well?_ He bombarded her with questions, and she blinked back tears at Charles's concern for them rather than himself.

 _Yes, we’re all together - they took off our collars straight away… Charles, are you…_ She couldn't bring herself to ask. He offered reassurances, but only one thing stuck in her mind. _Charles, can you escape?_

Only when he promised he could did she allow herself to relax a little, waiting for her to reach them so that they could work out their next moves together. They were both still alive. Whatever had happened, they'd make it through this, the way they always had. Together.

***

It was a short while between Charles saying that he was on his way, and him arriving, and during that time Raven felt herself starting to panic, afraid of him being caught, of what might happen, the trouble he was in. She felt she'd been selfish - she'd asked him to join her, not knowing if that was allowed. He might be punished for that. Sean cuddled against her, trying to look brave and not managing it.

She heard his voice outside of the barracks, and rushed forwards, embracing him tightly. "Where have you been! I was so worried about you, I thought you'd been caught, and-" she cut herself off, noticing the large blue man dressed as a soldier beside her brother. She ducked her head slightly, and in doing so caught a better look at her brother, and the swelling across half his face, that would soon become a black eye and a bruise. She ignored her brother's attempts at introduction, tilting his head so that she could see the injury better. "What happened to your face?"

"Is it very obvious?" Charles flinched, as though he hadn't been hurt, as though the worst of it was his embarrassment at being caught.

"Did he do this to you? If he did I'll-"

"Oh, no, really, you don't have to worry about that," Charles said in his diplomat's voice, his eyes darting towards the blue guard with concern in his eyes. She understood. It wasn't safe to talk. "It was an accident," Charles explained, and the man beside him confessed to hitting him with the door.

She felt relieved. She didn't believe the story her brother was telling about the door, but the fact someone was concerned enough to try and protect him was a good sign.

"An accident?"

Charles's hands gripped hers. "I promise."

"And the king? Last night?" She made herself ask, and Charles smiled and shook his head.

"Nothing happened. The king doesn't approve, apparently."

She embraced him, thanking the gods for their mercy. She continued to think that as Charles introduced her again to Hank, as he worked with Alex and Scott, getting them to demonstrate their powers. As they worked, a small crowd of mutant children gathered, and Charles began to teach them, things felt almost normal. This was what Charles loved, helping people. He'd always seen the best of people, and he'd always been kind, and she hated it at times but she understood it.

Charles wouldn't tell her if he was suffering. He'd never told her the times he'd been beaten by his stepfather, even when he'd almost died, when he'd been left with an injury that still made him stumble sometimes. That silence didn't mean that he was being hurt though. The four of them, the gifted 'weapons', watched quietly as Charles began to teach the Genoshan children, and she could tell her brother was happy. The day passed, and the crowd continued to grow, eager students for Charles's attention. The king had apparently told Charles to 'make himself useful'. That was what he had done.

A woman stepped out of the crowd, her sightless eyes gazing forward as she tilted her head towards the group. "Perhaps we should stop."

"I just want one more go, please?" the little red-headed girl begged, and Charles grinned and nodded, standing up straight so that she could try and lift him once more. The woman sighed softly, but stepped away. Raven turned, planning to ask her what was wrong, and paused as she saw a horse and rider approaching, followed by more of them.

"What is going on here?" A voice that was used to being obeyed demanded, and the crowd split, the little girl dropping Charles to the ground in her shock.

It was the king himself that had arrived, who jumped from his horse and scowled down at Charles. Some of the children tried to explain that they had been practicing, but the king didn't want to hear it, grabbing Charles from where he was sat, lifting him by his jacket. 

"Getting Jean to float him around like an imbecile is fine control… how?” he snarled, and she saw the fear flicker on Charles's face, just for a moment. She remembered how easily she'd believed his promise that everything was fine. One of the little girls was trying to explain, and the king looked like he was going to punch her. Instead, he turned to Charles. "On the horse."

"Charles!" Raven cried out, trying to push through to him, to talk to him, to try and keep him safe. But a soldier grabbed her elbow, and she was forced to watch again as Charles was taken from her. Charles shook his head, pleading with her not to fight. _Raven, please, I need you all to be safe._ He sounded desperate. She watched the king shake her brother like a ragdoll.

“As you have friends here, perhaps you will think more carefully than to put yourself into such a foolish position!" he threatened, and she could see the fear in Charles's eyes, the way he paled and obeyed and clambered onto the horse, the king seating himself behind him with a smug look of sick satisfaction on his face. Raven shuddered, reaching for Charles's mind. _You liar, you... you can't let him do this-_

 _Raven, you are my sister, and they are my friends. Let me keep you safe._ With sickening suddenness, he closed the mental link. She watched as they rode away. Alex put his arm on her shoulder, guided her back to the barracks, held her as she screamed and sobbed and fought against him, rubbed her back when she collapsed into tears. No one said anything. They all knew what was happening, and that they were going to be the tools used to keep him in line. Alex's hand squeezed hers tightly.

She kept reaching out for Charles's mind, her heart racing, trying to work out how she could get him out. When his mind brushed hers, she almost sobbed again.  
_Raven? Where are you?_

_Charles? Oh, god, Charles, are you OK?_

_I’m fine, darling._ He lied, and she called him on it.

_I’ve seen your fine after sessions with Lord Marko - can you get out?_

_I’m on my way to the market,_ he informed her, followed by worrying what she would do if he was harmed. She raced towards the entrance to the palace, rushing forwards to embrace him.

"I really am fine, Raven," he protested as she glared and prodded at the darkening bruise across his face. 

"I'll believe that when I see it," she snapped, poking at his arms and ribs and seeing him wince and flinch and gasp. He pretended he wasn't doing it, and she could barely keep the smile on her face.

“You will tell me if he’s mistreating you, won’t you, Charles?” she begged, hoping he would at least admit that things weren't alright.

“Yes, of course.” He smiled up at her and lied as calmly as ever.

She sighed. “No you won’t.”

He smiled sadly and shrugged a little. “It really is fine. He’s… not at all what I expected.”

Raven squeezed his hand, telling herself that if they were all still alive, they had a chance of escaping. “Expecting the very worst is a low bar for him to pass.”

Charles didn't answer that, and after a moment he sighed. "Could we just... look around? I don't want to think."

"We can do that." She laced her fingers through his, and they started walking, Charles greeting each of the mutant children who ran up to talk to him. “What’s that, Charles, less than twenty-four hours in a new place and you’re surrounded by children clamouring for you? Surely that’s a new record.”

Charles grinned, and nodded a greeting as his blue-furred guard appeared to escort them. For now, Charles wasn't being called back to the king's service, so she tried to make the most of the time they had, to walk around the city and learn about it and try to think of a way to rescue Charles from the hell he was currently trapped in.

***

Charles had disappeared. Which worryingly wasn't quite as surprising as you might have thought - he had always had a talent of hiding, which had only become stronger after Cain had once injured him so badly 'playing' that they'd thought he'd lose the ability to walk. But when he just slipped away, leaving her with the guard, she found herself concerned.

She tried to reach out for his mind, the way she did sometimes even if she disliked the sensation, but she was met with nothing. The blue-furred man continued to talk to her, seeming unaware of his charge's absence, and Raven stayed quiet, not wanting to draw attention to Charles's disappearance.

_Raven?_

_Yes? Are you alright, did he-_

_I'm fine._ Charles interrupted. _I need your help. Can you bring Hank, and whichever of the boys are available, and some blankets. At least three blankets._

 _I'll be there. Just show me where to go._ Raven promised, then turned to Hank. "I need your help with something, but I don't know what."

The man stared at her, then slowly nodded, obediently following her to the barracks, and then walking with Raven and Sean out to where Charles was waiting.

Raven stared at him. "What have you got yourself into now, Charles?" He was already in so much trouble, and she thought she could see smears of blood on his clothes. She panicked, until he revealed what he had found - a man and two girls, all badly injured. Charles was a kind-hearted man, and even when it upset her she loved him for it. She helped carry the teenage girl back, using the blanket to shield herself from the girl's touch. They headed back to the camp, and laid them out, and she watched in silent horror as their injuries were revealed.

She stayed close to the girl who she had carried, feeling a little protective of her. Eventually, Charles left, making some soft excuse about the king. She wanted to ask him to stay, but she thought of the scene earlier and held her tongue. She couldn't get Charles in more trouble. She embraced him tightly, before letting him go. "You can reach out to me, at any time, if you have any trouble-"

"I'll be fine, Raven. I'm always fine, you shouldn't worry so much." He smiled at her, so brightly it was almost blinding, and then hurried back to the castle. Raven watched him leave, fighting the pain that bubbled in her chest. She just wished he'd talk to her, she wanted to help.

She spent the evening talking to the girl who was awake. What she heard about her life before was horrifying - she had suffered so much. But Raven told her she was safe now, and she believed that lie. 

It was dark when Charles's mind pressed against hers. _Raven?_

_Oh, Charles, how...is there anything we can do?_

_It's fine. I'm fine. I've brought Erik to meet the patients, so that we can get better treatment, we're just outside._

She bristled at the way he said 'Erik', as though the man was a friend. She opened the door, glaring at the man holding her brother prisoner. "I hope you know what you're doing, Charles."

“Don’t I always, Raven dear?”

She snorted. “No! You’re the most trusting idiot I’ve ever met!” But she let the two of them in to examine the patients, staying as close as she could to Charles. She watched as the king used his power to soothe the metal encasing their bones as Charles kept them unconscious and free from pain. She was proud of him, even though it hurt, even though it sickened her to see her brother working so easily with a man like that.

Charles had spared these two rescues so much pain. He looked exhausted, and she hoped that he would stay in the barracks tonight. But eventually he left with the king, and she frowned, watching him go.

Logan growled softly, watching them walk out together, and she wondered if she had an ally.

***

She tried to sleep, even though she worried. She wouldn't be able to help any better if she was sleep deprived, and Charles was trusting her to keep his rescues safe. It wasn't easy. In Westchester, she'd known where he was, that he was safe. But here she didn't have that certainty. She wondered if she could leave the barracks and sneak up to the castle, rescue her brother and- She didn't know where to go from there. They were trapped. They couldn't go to Westchester. Whether or not she despised it, they were stuck here for now.

Raven had been drifting off to sleep when the attackers came. Three men, heavily armed, ready to kill them all to steal back the escapees, the family that Charles had saved.

The three men broke into the barracks, and they didn't stand a chance. Alex and Sean took down one attacker, Raven took out another, and the third was ripped to shreds by Logan's claws. Logan was struggling to stand, exhausted. Genoshans rushed in, and Raven explained what had happened, seeing how Logan was trying to walk, exhaustion still obvious with every movement.

"Sean, you hold this one," Raven ordered. With her brother missing, it fell on her to take charge. She walked over to Logan, guiding him back to bed and ushering Laura in beside him, ignoring how he snarled at her. She turned into a large man, glaring down at him. "You need to lie down. You're no good to the girls if you collapse."

"I-"

"I will sit on you."

"I'll go and alert the king," Darwin said, nodding to Raven. "And check on your brother."

"Thank you," she murmured, still glaring at her patient. 

She waited, until Charles arrived in the shadow of that man. Charles was shivering, not dressed for this weather, in sleepwear made of soft fabric that offered no warmth from the chill air. Unlike the king, he didn't have a cloak. He was wearing boots, his hair tangled from sleeping, and Raven raced to embrace him. "You missed all the action."

Charles nodded, pale and trembling, his gaze fixed on the body Logan had sliced through. She watched as the King approached the rescues, and Charles followed, careful. 

She watched as Hank was made a doctor, sickness churning inside of her at the knowledge that even now, her brother was doing what he could to help people. The king raised his voice, chasing away those who had come to look, and sending Alex and Sean away with the human prisoners. She sat down by Logan, who was growling softly, her hand in his. He squeezed back.

"Charles," the king's voice cut through the air, and Charles jerked away from the girl - Marie - he had been speaking to, fear written across his face. After a moment, the king continued. "I’ll be questioning the prisoners. You stay here, do you understand? One of the guards will accompany you back to the palace if you need to return.” With that, he turned and stalked away. Raven watched him go, hating the man, wondering how she could help her brother. She turned to her brother, to the bruises barely hidden by his sleepwear, the way he was shivering.

"Are you okay, Charles?" she whispered, aware that anyone outside the room could be spying.

“Yes, of course, why?” Charles answered, as blunt and cold and Charles-like as ever. There was nothing wrong. That was what he always said, even when things were wrong, even when his step-father and step-brother had nearly killed him.

 _We can leave any time you want. You know we’ll be able to slip away. You can hide us._ She begged him telepathically, and he looked at her blankly, smiling and shaking his head. 

"I really don't know what you're talking about." And just like that, the conversation was over, his attention back on Marie. For a little while, things felt normal. Logan held his daughter, and Hank treated everyone, and Charles promised he'd keep Laura safe. Raven fought back tears, because of course her brother wanted to protect people.

When he left under the escort of a guard, she turned to Logan. "What did you-"

"They've been sleeping in the same bed." Logan muttered. Feeling her heart break, she nodded.

***

That was the start. After that, things simply got worse. The information kept coming, Darwin telling her as kindly as he could that he'd seen Charles curled up in the king’s bed, and saying how he'd found him discarded in the corridor, naked but for the king's cloak. The beautiful blind woman, Irene, walked over and held her hand, frowning.

"You have to have faith in your brother's strength." She said, and there was pain in her eyes. "I... I know you're worried, and you might nearly lose him, but he's strong."

"You're a precog? Can you tell me-"

"There's nothing I can offer that you'd want to hear, other than my promise he is strong," the woman smiled sadly. "He is strong, and he loves you dearly."

Raven accepted that information, thanked her, and was glad for it as more rumours trickled down. That Charles stood by the king at meetings, that when the king raised his voice Charles had panicked so much he'd started to hyperventilate, nearly passing out from terror. It was Alex who had seen that, and he paced around the barracks, anger flowing from him, air around him charged with plasma.

When the delegation from Sokovia arrived, Raven caught a glimpse of her brother. He'd been absent then for a few days, busy with the king. She saw him, in a blue tunic, beautiful and helpless and she wanted to run to him but she didn't dare, not when there were guards around, not when Logan and Laura were still healing. 

She was sat on her bed in the barracks when Darwin walked in, heading to her side and squeezing her hand.

"I'll help you," he whispered. "It's not right. I can't.... I can't stand by and let it happen, can't watch him flaunt that poor boy..." 

"Thank you," she looked at him, considered their group. They were helpless against Genosha. But it was a start. She would help Charles. 

When the attack came, an attempted invasion by Sokovia, her brother proved he was a prince. He fought admirably, holding out against a huge number of the enemy, even as he rushed across the battlefield barefoot. A dragon soared, and Raven focused on keeping those she could alive.

She caught sight of her brother, when he'd defeated Sokovia's king. Still in his finery, feet and legs scraped and arms bloody, clutching a wounded child to his chest. The king rushed to him, and she saw a look of anger pass over the ruler's face.

She focused on looking after the children, trying to comfort the youngest mutants because that was what Charles would have done, had he been free. Little Laura curled up against her chest, sleeping there, when Logan stumbled down to the barracks, groaning in frustration.

"He needs help."

"Who?"

"Chuck. He's exhausted. He's been helping people and he just... limped off to the king's bedroom. He doesn't even have shoes."

"We'll help him." Raven promised. "Look after Laura," she told him, slipping away, making her way to the kitchens, where Darwin was preparing a meal.

"Can you check on my brother?"

"Of course." He squeezed her hand, looking at her sadly. "We'll help him."

Raven wanted to talk to Charles, to reassure him, to let him know he was loved. But he didn't emerge from the king's chambers until gone noon, and then he spent hours working with patients, exhausting himself.

That was where she found him in the evening, still working hard, half-dead on his feet. He looked like he could barely stand. She made her way over to him, embracing him as tightly as she could, fighting back tears. "You're an idiot," she muttered. She wanted to tell him she'd save him, but she couldn't risk that, not yet.

"I love you too." He embraced her just as tightly, sounding almost delirious.

She pushed him to sit down, leaning in to check his feet. They were worse than she'd expected. "I can't believe you're still..." There was nothing else she could say. She couldn't criticise what he was doing, not when he was doing it to keep his friends alive. She wanted to ask him not to. She had to respect his choice. 

His feet, at least, she could do something about. She stared at the underside, working out what would help. There were spare bandages nearby.

“Honestly, Charles, how you’re walking around is just a joke! What a mess you’ve made of these!”

“Hey, you’re barefoot all the time,” he pointed out, the way he'd tease her at home.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m a shapeshifter, you ass, and I have a healing factor. Marie, would you please get me a bowl of disinfectant for this idiot’s feet? Thank you.” When the disinfectant was delivered, she began the careful job of cleaning her brother's feet, checking that no mud or filth was stuck in the cuts, and then bandaging them. It would hurt to walk for the next few days, but she had to hope she'd prevented an infection setting in.

Erik arrived as she finished the bandages, and nodded at her. She stood up, anger and hatred seething as she straightened formally, knowing Charles had given up too much for her to make a scene.

“Thank you, Raven. Charles, bedtime.” 

Raven wanted to punch the bastard. Charles laughed, getting to his feet.

"Goodnight, Raven." He held his arms out for an embrace, and she gave it gladly, holding him tight and safe for a few moments. 

"God, Charles you're such... such an idiot. I love you, just... call for me... promise, you'll call for me if you need me? Please?" She begged, trying not to cry. Charles was being so brave. She had to be strong.

“Of course,” he pulled back, and stroked her cheek, frowning at her, eyes shining. “You are all OK, aren’t you? Sean, Alex and Scott?”

She nodded, but her smile seemed forced. She hated it. Hated what Charles had to do to keep them safe, but telling him that didn't help. She would save him. She watched as he was taken away, and this time he kept glancing back over at her. She wanted to help him, run over and rescue him, but she couldn't. She stood and watched, hating herself.

***

She'd play that moment over in her mind, again and again over the next few days, when Charles didn't return from the king's rooms. If there was anything she could have done to save him. 

She gathered information in fragments, rumours and snatches of conversation, and she prepared her rescue - it had to be a rescue, she told herself, it wasn't revenge, it was a rescue - in much the same way. The king had powerful mutants on his side. But she couldn't let him win.

The story the rumors told was sickening. Marie said Hank had been taken away from the hall they were using for medical treatment. That Charles had been stabbed. 

Sean saw a body being taken from the bedchamber, wrapped in cloth. The king hadn't been spotted in the castle, staying in his room, and Hank was barely seen, always quiet and subdued, refusing to talk. Emma took over the command of the kingdom, and Raven... Raven wondered if Charles had fought back. If he'd injured the king. She kept thinking about when she'd said goodbye. The smile she forced. She had regrets.

Irene sat with her, and told her she didn't know if Charles would survive, but that he was strong. That meant something to her, and she used that idea to motivate her through the pain.

Darwin had told her he had a plan. And one day, almost a week after Charles's disappearance, Raven found herself briefing a small group of mutants. Alex, Sean and Scott, of course, but also Logan and Laura. The children Charles had played with in the town. Darwin. And a foreign princess that one of the Wakandan refugees had fetched.

"We might not survive this."

"We have to try." Alex said softly. "He'd do something for us."

That was it. She embraced them, thanked them, and led the group up to the door, pushing it open, seeing the king in front of Charles who was laying in the bed pale and barely breathing, swathed in bandages. He was alive, and she was afraid and relieved and lost.

"What have you done with my brother, you bastard?"

The others spoke. She heard their words, but all she could focus on was the body of her brother, dwarfed by that bed, so pale and so weak. He looked almost-dead, but he was breathing, fighting for life. She admired him even as she hated him.

"There was an attack,” the king said at last. “The Sokovians. Charles saved my life and was stabbed with a poisoned knife.”

Raven rushed to Charles, not able to be apart any longer, willing to fight the man holding him prisoner if she had to. “Charles… what have you done to yourself now, you idiot?”

Charles looked peaceful, even as he lay there near dead. She stroked his hair out of his face, seeing the bruise there slowly fading. She looked down at him sadly, wanting to sweep him away, to keep him safe. That expression was mirrored on the king’s face. 

The king, Erik, moved closer to her, frowning a little as he watched. She heard the others leave, saw how the king looked at her brother, tried to understand. She could feel Charles's presence in her mind - not awake, exactly. But there, through their old bond. He didn't want her to be angry. He tried to send a sense of love, a promise that things weren’t as they seemed. She wasn’t sure if she could trust it.

"Can we visit him?" one of the children was asking. Jean and little Jason had stayed behind, watching.

"I think he'd like that," Erik said, so gently. Raven glared up at him, hurting. 

"I can't believe you didn't tell me." Charles had nearly died, and the king had kept it to himself.

"I'm sorry," he said, and that sounded genuine. “I didn’t think… I don’t think I’ve thought of anything since it happened. I don’t even know what day it is.”

Raven’s expression softened a little. She knew what it was to care for Charles with all his difficulty and all his capacity for love. She could feel the tenderness Charles held for both of them, echoing out from his mind. “I thought he was just trying to make me feel better,” she said. “But you really do care about him.”

The king nodded, taking the hand she wasn't holding.

"Erik's always loved him," Jean said softly, guiding little Jason over. "He just looks grumpy."

Erik glared, but there was no threat to it. Raven looked at him, and laughed, and decided that at least for now she had to trust her brother. 

"I think I see how it is. Come on girls, let's let our glorious leader get some rest," she managed a smile at the king. "Thank you." As she left the room, she saw Erik curled up around Charles.

***

She waited for news. Eventually, she was told that her brother was awake, and she went to visit him, finding him lying there, eyes open and alert. He smiled to see her, and she embraced him, falling into easy teasing. It felt good to see her brother happy. To know he was loved. 

She looked up at Erik, and smiled. "Make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid, your highness."

"I'll do what I can," he promised, and she grinned. That'd be enough, at least for now. Maybe with Erik's help, they could keep Charles from getting into any further trouble. Charles had always been a self-sacrificing idiot, but at least now she had someone to help her look after him.


End file.
